Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or own anything to do with the franchise, all rights belong to Naoko Takeuchi. I do own my story and my own OC characters.
I do not own image.
Hi Guys,
Two chapters left and a small epilogue and then that's it, the story is finally soon coming to an end. I am hoping to get the remaining chapters up quickly and then if I can update Silver and Gold Beginnings two, I will take a break away whilst I re-think my stories. Thank you all for supporting this story so far :-)
TropicalRemix-Thank you for your review :-) Usagi's last battle is in the next chapter.
Jakeros: Just to add as I don't think I mentioned, Heika is Prince in Japanese I think from what I researched anyway, I also heard it used in the Heroic Legend of Arslan anime as well.
Chapter Fourteen
Neptune blinked twice, unsure she had heard correctly. Embracing darkness? Usagi had turned glassy eyed at the revelations from her mother. But these truths would set Usagi free and yet, they would bind her forever.
"I am sorry your majesty, please forgive me, but you are aware of the timeline changing?" Neptune asked to which Queen Serenity nodded.
"I felt the shifts" Queen Serenity said keeping a small smile and her soft eyes on her daughter. Neptune, still holding onto Small Lady looked at her hime and then back towards the dead Queen. This couldn't be right, it just couldn't be. Why would Queen Serenity ask such a thing of her soft natured daughter?
"I don't know if I can mother…." Usagi started.
"You are able Serenity. It has always been you. I knew from the moment you were born that you were different. You can embrace all things whereas I couldn't. My powers were limited to what the Silver Crystal allowed me to do. You have more strength then I did" Queen Serenity said.
"But my strength has always come from my friends' mother, I have never been able to do it alone" Usagi added. Queen Serenity shook her head.
"Your love for them was your motivation, you were always the last one standing through it all and I believe this will forever be the pattern of your life. That is why the Silver Crystal has chosen you. Your soul and that of the Silver Crystal have merged into one. You will gain more powers than myself Serenity but in order to fulfil your potential, you must do what I could not. You must embrace not only the light, but also the darkness" Queen Serenity reiterated again.
Usagi sighed deeply, there it was again. The point her mother had tried to make. In order for Usagi to win this battle, she had to fully control the light but also embrace the darkness, the very darkness her mother had cast off creating Nehelenia. Could Usagi really allow herself to delve into that type of world? The dark was where Chaos resided, how could she use the same powers as Chaos? It went against her very nature.
"There will be decisions you will have to make in the future Serenity, decisions that will require you to execute judgement that goes against your values but you must think of the overall picture of things. No-one else will have the ability to have the foresight you will have, the understanding of matters beyond that of your Senshi. How did you imagine I survived so long as Queen? I may not have been able to use darkness but I had to understand it and understand the powers behind it. You will need to go that step further; I believe you have more of an understanding of our heritage now, the original Queen of the Moon Selene who inhabited my body. I don't know what will happen to you my daughter but there are mysterious things happening all around you, you must be alert to them" Queen Serenity said in a serious tone. Usagi nodded, not fully understanding but knowing that her mother's words were very important.
"How can I embrace darkness?" Usagi asked.
"Embracing it doesn't mean accepting the evil of it, you may not even have to use it. Darkness has many facets to it. The skies are referred to as the dark skies or it can cover you in darkness if you don't have any light to show you the way. Darkness refers to night. Day and Night follow hand in hand. Chaos is the evil side of the darkness, the side you must never succumb to, the side you will forever have to fight. But you can use the darkness, allow it to help you. The time will come when you will understand my words. Serenity, all I want you to remember is this, the Silver Crystal really does depend upon your heart. It always has and now you know why. And never forget the love of your friends and family. Protect your children and guide them well. And lastly, always be prepared as Chaos will always be behind you" Queen Serenity started to disappear, her words whirling around in Usagi's mind.
During the Silver Millennium on the Moon
Queen Serenity stood tall and proud, her head held high as she looked at her nemesis, the self-proclaimed Queen of Darkness Queen Nehellenia. They stood within the vast expanse of the throne room, Queen Serenity banishing all palace guards.
"I thought I cast you away, why are you still here?" Queen's Serenity's cold voice rang, echoing against the white walls. Queen Nehellenia smirked, almost gloatingly.
"You know you can never get rid of me Queen of the Light or have you forgotten so easily?" Nehellenia said smoothly as she stood just as proud as her counterpart.
"There is no place for you here Nehellenia" Queen Serenity said, keeping her voice even. She had never liked Queen Nehelenia because she knew where Nehellenia had come from. This woman was more or less a mirror image of herself, the darkness she had tried so hard to run away from.
"You know, we should really try to get along because I am apart of you. The light always needs the darkness and the darkness always craves the light. It really shouldn't be so difficult" Nehellenia said easily, encircling Queen Serenity "I mean, you can't always win with the light, can you? Not when real darkness comes and stands up against you. You don't have to become darkness, just embrace it for what it is, the night that follows after the light" Nehellenia said stopping when Queen Serenity placed a piercing look.
"You are evil" Queen Serenity stated. Nehellenia smirked again.
"Am I? Am I really?" Nehellenia questioned. Queen Serenity hesitated, she didn't have the answer to that but she knew that she couldn't work or help an enemy.
"Be gone and never come back!" Queen Serenity said as calmly as she could but the anger was still laced in her words. Queen Nehellenia almost looked disappointed as she sighed.
"There will come a time when you will need me and the darkness I hold. I just hope you do not forfeit your life before you realise that truth" and with that Nehellenia disappeared, hiding within the deep depths of the Moon unknown to Queen Serenity who had let go of the darkness, therefore she couldn't locate it.
Back to the Present
"They've been captured" Usagi had managed to form two cots for her twins to sleep in as Pluto spoke, still groggy from the last fight.
"They must have them in the Negaverse" Neptune suggested to which Pluto nodded. Usagi had remained quiet, her mind drifting towards Luna and Artemis. Somehow along the way she had lost the two felines. Throughout her time with the Inner Senshi she had not spent time with Luna, they weren't as close as they were before. Usagi missed that closeness, but maybe it was a good thing. Usagi was starting to realise that this battle she was about to face was going to be her toughest battle yet.
She knew the facts.
Firstly she knew her enemy; it was Super Beryl, a fusion of Beryl and Queen Meteria into one. Secondly, the whole of earth had been taken over so that meant not only did she have to defeat Beryl but she also had to heal the whole planet. Thirdly she had to cleanse Prince Endymion and his comrades. All this she had to do and yet, had she not only just given birth to twins? She was so tired and weak, how was she supposed to do it all and not forfeit her life? Usagi's blue eyes found Pluto's and the two women seemed to understand one another. Pluto held back her tears, her plan would still stand, there was no way in hell that she would allow her hime to fall.
"We must prepare now" Usagi said, a new sense of strength taking over her. Neptune could hear the regal side of Usagi's voice coming through. She knew deep down it was time. Usagi was transforming into Neo-Queen Serenity.
"She'll never be able to go back…Oh Pluto we've lost so many years to all these battles, all this fighting. All Usagi ever wanted was to be a normal girl but now that will never happen, we might not be able to save Endymion" Neptune said. Pluto nodded. Usagi was becoming Neo-Queen Serenity, she could feel it. The Silver Crystal was transforming Usagi, the time was coming when she would no longer be a Sailor Senshi. No, she would be their Queen.
Sailor Mars was the first to wake up. Although her vision was still blurry, she could make out the outlines of her comrades, all resting up against a dark cold wall.
"Damn it" Mars cursed as she slowly regained her clearer vision. She was laying on her left side and had her hands tied behind her back. She was about to singe them when she realised her hands were tied by something metal. She didn't fancy burning her own hands if that was possible. Slowly and with force she pushed herself into a sitting position, using the wall to stabilise her movements.
"Looks like we're in the Negaverse now" Jupiter whispered out. Mars looked across to see Jupiter leaning against the wall, tied around her arm and waist by a metal chain. Their uniforms were all ripped in various places, signalling the fact that they had just come from battle.
"I don't see Pluto, Neptune or Serenity. They must have escaped" Venus spoke up, her hands tied up behind her back in the same position as Uranus and Galaxia. Sailor Mars looked about the room they were in, there were no windows and it was filthy. Customary of Queen Beryl she assumed.
"We have to get out of here" Mars said as she started to wriggle her wrists.
"How?! These chains feel as if negative energy has been placed on them, can't you feel it?" Venus asked looking over to Sailor Mercury who was left leaning on her knees, her head facing downwards as if she were bowing to someone.
"Give me a minute…I'll blast these things apart" Galaxia said, barely moving her head which was also leaning downwards.
"I've been trying to blast these things for the past half hour, they're weakening" Uranus said, lifting her head up to look towards Saturn. Saturn was still knocked out as well. Galaxia shifted a little before she lifted her own head. There was a soft glow behind her as she closed her eyes.
"This could take a while…" Galaxia said as she tried to focus. Mars nodded. They had to get out of there, something bad was about to happen, she could feel it. She was desperate to get back to her princess as soon as possible. Prince Endymion had clearly gone after her and she couldn't imagine any of them being able to stop him. He had become a powerful force, more powerful than he should have been. She wondered what all this power was actually doing to him and the Generals. To hold all that hatred and anger without knowing why they felt that way. Her mind then turned to Jadeite. She still very much loved him even though she didn't want to. She knew all the Inner Senshi felt that way. It wasn't something they could just switch off. Their feelings were very real and deep rooted.
A fairly quiet knocking sound followed by a clinking sound brought Sailor Mar's mind back to the room. Galaxia was rubbing her wrists as well as Uranus.
"Well, that hurt" Galaxia said with Uranus readily agreeing.
"Now, time to free the rest of you" Galaxia announced, slowly getting up. Mars eyes steeled in determination. She would fight with everything she had to free her princess. They had to save this world, they just had too.
"How are we going to find the others?" Jupiter asked as Uranus released her.
"Let's get out of here first, then we'll be in a better position to work that out" Uranus answered. Galaxia had released Venus and moved over to Mars. Uranus reached Mercury and then Saturn. Both fell to the ground, Mercury starting to move but Saturn still knocked out cold.
"Damn it Helios is powerful to keep her unconscious" Uranus admitted.
"Prince Endymion is worse, believe me" Galaxia said, a coldness and slight fear in her voice. Galaxia's mind then turned to Super Beryl, how was their princess to take on such a force, surrounded by the very generals and prince that took out her senshi so easily.
'It won't happen again' Galaxia said to herself.
Super Beryl had just finished speaking to an army of Youma, all prepared for war. Her words were powerful but they didn't move Prince Endymion's heart. He hated her still and yet, he was still prepared to marry the women and produce an heir. Endymion stood by Beryl's side, his eyes cold and calculating as he looked on at the dark shadowy figures across from him. They were expendable to him but his generals were not. As time had gone by, he had come to not just see them as comrades, but also as friends. They were his confidant's and they followed him without question. He didn't want them to have to obey Beryl but what choice did he have? She had the means to control the world with his power; they needed each other for it to succeed.
'What would the world have been like if I had married Serenity?' Endymion often wondered. His plan's very much involved her. He knew he would have to marry Beryl, but he wouldn't stay married to her. Once an heir was produced, he had planned for her to meet an unexpected violent end. Then he could do as he wished with Serenity, no-one would question him because he would be their king.
These thoughts seemed to settle him for a little until his mind wondered towards his children. He had twins, a girl and a boy and he had no idea where they were. That made him so angry. He had wanted to kill the golden Sailor Senshi left behind but he held himself back. Serenity wouldn't like it and that thought had made him calm about matters. Endymion walked away once the meeting had been finished. He didn't even stop to look at Beryl, her eyes burning into his retreating form. She would have him, that was a certainty. Now they had the Sailor Senshi, she knew that Princess Serenity was out there, still at large. A massive threat hung over her plans. Meteria knew that Serenity was the only thing in their way. They had to find her and destroy her. Meteria craved the Silver Crystal; it had always been that way.
'She will come to us, we have her beloved Senshi' Beryl told herself. It was her only comfort.
"I still cannot locate them" Helios had said, opening his eyes but not moving from his seated position. He sat on the floor in front of a large white wall. All of Endymion's comrades stayed within his section of the Kingdom. His section was very rich looking filled with royal blues, dark warm reds and browns. He had never liked the dark creepy gloomy colours of the Negaverse.
"I don't expect you to find them, they will come to us" Endymion said as he stood next to Zoisite who was leaning against the wall.
"So, we are to go out against the galaxy now…so many unsuspecting planets" Zoisite said in a dark tone. Endymion smirked.
"They will fall into the fold quickly, they cannot stand up to us" Jadeite answered.
"But Serenity can" Motoki reminded not caring for the dark look Endymion threw his way. Just as Endymion was about to say something back, Youma started screaming. The sound of crashing and explosives engulfed them all.
"What the hell!" Jadeite yelled.
"The Senshi…." Prince Endymion said darkly, his eyes flashing a fierce red as his negative aura surrounded him.
"COCONUT CYCLONE!" Jupiter shouted, killing fifteen small Youma in her way.
"MARS FLAMING SNIPER!" Mars cried out hitting another five larger ones. Sailor Galaxia and Venus had sped ahead, already coming to the decision that they had to face Super Beryl and stop her anyway they could from reaching out towards the Galaxy. Kunzite saw the determination in Venus's eyes and knew exactly what was happening. He instantly turned towards Endymion who seemed to also catch on. An evil smile crept on his face, a look Kunzite was unsure of.
"That means Serenity will have to come, she will not want her friends to perish now will she?" Endymion said. Kunzite understood, still not liking the idea that Venus was going to fight a being that was probably the most powerful force in their galaxy.
"Head to the throne room, it seems this war is going to end one way or another" Endymion said as he stood up. His comrades nodded, it was all to end here.
Venus had always known they weren't going to live through this. She had spent years drumming it into her head. When the princess never appeared, she had almost given up hope. But now she felt rejuvenated. She no longer saw this as a suicide mission. She saw this as her duty to protect her princess and to give her life for the planet she had called home. Galaxia kicked down the tall black doors that led to the throne room, the very room with its dark tiling and dense mists. Super Beryl stood there in her red gown holding her own sceptre. She smirked at them, her hair gravitating to the top of her head, as if wind was pushing its way upwards or someone was holding her hair from the top. She looked truly frightening and powerful.
"So Senshi, you have come to die" Super Beryl said, her voice a mixture of her own and Meteria's. Her voice filled the room and trapped them.
"We won't let you destroy the universe Beryl" Venus shouted, getting into her fighting stance.
"This planet is our home" Jupiter said.
"And we will fight with everything we have to protect the planet our princess found love" Mars snapped, knowing that would aggravate Beryl.
"Why you little!" Beryl screeched as she unleashed a powerful dark energy force. Saturn stood in front of them.
"SILENCE WALL!" She cried out, blocking the attack and allowing Galaxia and Uranus to attack at the same time.
Mercury was still shaky on her feet, much the same as Saturn was but she knew she had to help clear the battle field to allow Galaxia and Uranus a chance at Beryl.
"MERCURY AQUA MIST" Mercury shouted blinding the oncoming Youma.
"MERCURY AQUA RHAPSODY!" her attack took out all the Youma that had come to fight her. Jupiter stood towards Mercury's back, protecting her from behind shooting lightning bolts. The Senshi didn't see the Generals watching them nor Endymion.
"When should we engage?" Zoisite asked.
"Not yet, give it time" Endymion answered, casually leaning against the wall and then smirking at Sailor Mars when she saw him.
"Damn it, he's toying with us" Mars said as she partnered Venus in battle. Venus had already seen Kunzite but she tried to ignore him.
"They're not fighting us then that is a good thing right now" Venus said.
"What are they waiting for" Mars asked, highly suspicious. She noted that although they were evil, their loyalties seemed not to lie with Beryl at all. Becoming distracted, Mars narrowly missed a sharp pole shot out in her direction from Beryl.
"Keep focussed!" Galaxia shouted as she landed a punch in Super Beryl's stomach. Uranus then delivered a kick to her back. Beryl, feeling extremely angry unleashed a powerful force that shot out, hitting all the Senshi into the walls and killing all the youma. Endymion quirked an eyebrow at the power burst.
"Well, she's not happy" Jadeite said smirking when Endymion chuckled a little. Galaxia struggled to get up but she knew she had to, she had to keep going, she had to fight. Once on her feet, she prepared to charge at Beryl but was shot with a dark energy ball from Endymion. She crashed into a wall and nearly went right through it. Because it was so dense, she was sure she had some broken bones now. Super Beryl looked lustfully towards Endymion, his display of easily manipulated negaverse energy really making her feel hot under the collar for him. He looked at the rest of the Senshi, all of them trying to get up to carry on fighting. He narrowed his eyes at them as his comrades attacked. Jadeite took out Mars surrounding her in his flames. Nephrite delivered a powerful energy blast hitting Jupiter, the same as what Kunzite delivered to Venus. Zoisite threw energy balls at Mercury whilst Motoki and Helios took care of Saturn and Uranus. The Senshi were scattered and beaten but still hopeful. They would fight no matter what. They couldn't lose.
"Stay down Jupiter" Nephrite warned, his respect growing even more than it already had as Jupiter stood up. One of her eyes was closed but her other good eye focussed on Nephrite.
"Have it your way then" Nephrite said, preparing to attack again.
"DEAD SCREAM!" A blurry figure rushed passed Nephrite, knocking him fully to the ground before the figure took out the rest of the Generals.
"Pluto…" Saturn said weakly as she stood up, her knees knocking together from exhaustion.
"This ends here Beryl" Super Beryl and Meteria knew that voice as she spun around to see the full figure of Princess Serenity, looking more and more like her mother.
"My look how you have grown" Beryl mocked.
"Motherhood does that to you" Serenity shot back making Beryl freeze.
"Mother…how can this be?" Super Beryl had to kill this Moon Princess, she had offspring, more in her way to the Silver Crystal. But then Beryl looked at Prince Endymion. His eyes were planted on Beryl, challenging her.
"Damn you, you always ran after her. Well, no more, she will no longer bewitch you" Super Beryl said as she grew in size, her figure outgrew the room making everything crumble, shatter and break.
"Get out of her, now!" Serenity yelled out to Pluto. Pluto nodded, creating a forcefield and carried the Senshi out. Endymion ordered his Generals to do the same. He was about to follow when he instantly made a decision and ran up towards Serenity. Once he reached her, he grabbed her from behind.
"Take this outside, you'll weaken if hit here" Endymion said as he teleported them both out of there, ignoring Serenity's protests. He didn't know what force it was that had made him act, but suddenly memories of when he had simply been Mamoru played on his mind.
As the palace of the Negaverse crumbled, Super Beryl stood tall over them all. Prince Endymion quickly let go of Princess Serenity and he then looked deeply into her eyes. She could see it, the conflict. Her Mamo-chan was still in there, crying out to be released from all this darkness. Knowing this gave her a renewed hope. Her heart becoming steel, she looked determinedly into his eyes.
"Look after our children Mamo-chan, promise me" Serenity said. Endymion was left dumbstruck, when had she known his name? And turned it into an endearment? Before he could question her, she pulled him in for a passionate kiss. It was in that moment he felt all light headed. He saw millions of colours as he was lost in that kiss. But then when she pulled away and stood to face Beryl, he could feel the sadness in that kiss; the finality in it.